The Great Dragon's Great Escape
by nicnac918
Summary: "Alright kitling come here, time to settle down. A bedtime story? Aren't you too old for that? Really, only one? I thought for certain you were at least two decades by now. Time is so much harder to keep track of after your twentieth century. Yes I am old, and you are impertinent. Now be quiet and I'll tell you the story of how the Great Dragon escaped from the Ruthless King."


Alright kitling come here, time to settle down for the night. A bedtime story? Aren't you too old for that? Really, only one? I thought for certain you were at least two decades by now. Time is so much harder to keep track of after your twentieth century. Yes I am old, and you are impertinent. Now be quiet and I'll tell you the story of how the Great Dragon escaped the clutches of the Ruthless King.

Of course that's me; you think I don't recognize my own title? I am old, kitling, not senile. Now be quiet, or I will change my mind about your story.

Properly told, we have to start the story with how the Ruthless King first captured the Great Dragon in the first place. This happened long before you were born, in a time when the world was wilder and even the tamest and most righteous of rulers might be considered ruthless by the standards of today, but the Ruthless King in particular was especially loathsome. Though he was fair enough in his dealings in most quarters, the Ruthless King hated everything to do with magic and the Old Religion. Why? Why should that matter, kitling? The petty reasons of humans do not concern dragons. What mattered was the Ruthless King was determined to destroy magic in a time when the land of Albion teemed with it.

Aithusa is right and you do well to listen to her; she may have been more foolish in her youth than even you are kitling, but your grandmother has grown to be very wise. The land of Albion is still full of magic, as it always has been and as it always will be, but it exists very differently now than it did then. Now the magic of Albion might be likened to a lake: full but still and silent and easy to ignore if you turn your back to it. Back then it was more like a mighty river that coursed through the land and shaped it with its force. But remember kitling, still waters run deep; magic will have its day again.

The Ruthless King saw this river and was determined to dry it up into nothing. It was as futile an effort as a mere human trying to dry up all the water in a real river in the end, but the Ruthless King was powerful, determined, and foolish. Any one of these things can be dangerous by itself, but together they wreaked havoc on the land. The Ruthless King hunted down every single user of magic, from the mightiest sorcerer to the meanest hedge witch and any that could not hide or flee were executed. He executed warlocks and witches, priestesses and druids, healers and seers, those who used their magic to hurt others and those who used it to help, and even the dragonlords, all save three, one who had not yet been born and two who I will return to in a minute. The Ruthless King was not content to stop with the slaughter of humans either. He also sent his knights after magical creatures of all kinds including, after they grew bolder in their successes, dragons.

Here I will confide in you kitling something that you must never repeat to anyone who is not a dragon. Especially not Merlin, he'd be intolerable if he heard. Though the Ruthless King was very foolish to believe he could stamp out all magic, when faced with him the dragons behaved foolishly as well. At first they didn't bother themselves with what he was doing at all – he was the human king and killing human magic users was within his dominion. It did not concern the dragons, they thought, but they should have realized his ambition went far beyond human practitioners. It wasn't until he began executing dragonlords that the dragons' ire was provoked; the Ruthless King could kill all the other humans he liked, but the dragonlords are kin to the dragons, and not to be trifled with. Even then in their anger, the dragons were not wary of the Ruthless King; they thought he and his knights would be easily vanquished once they roused themselves to do so. They were wrong. Time and time again, the dragons underestimated their foe, and that, kitling, is the most foolish thing anyone can do.

At first the Ruthless King's knights came after the dragons in droves and killed them with barely more effort than it takes to kill a common boar. By the time the dragons realized the seriousness of the threat and began to fight back in earnest, the Ruthless King had already laid plans to turn the dragons to lambs for the slaughter. He captured a dragonlord, one of the only two still alive by then, and instead of executing him immediately, the Ruthless King offered clemency if the dragonlord would command the dragons for him. The Traitorous Dragonlord agreed and one by one called the dragons to their deaths.

Finally came the day when there was only one dragon left in Albion, the Great Dragon. He came when the Traitorous Dragonlord called because he could not do otherwise and lay down docilely in the grass, waiting for the sword to fall. Before it could a second command was laid on the dragon, to flee as fast as he could to safety and stay there. The Great Dragon flew away and as he did he saw the Second-to-Last Dragonlord run the Traitorous Dragonlord through, killing him as he had killed countless dragons.

As I have said before, the Ruthless King was very foolish, but he was also very clever in his own way. Rather than running the Second-to-Last Dragonlord through in turn, or clapping him in irons and throwing him in the deepest dungeon in his castle, he feigned shock that one dragonlord would kill another, and questioned why the Second-to-Last Dragonlord would be willing to do so for "a mere beast". Your parents would no doubt instruct you to mind your language, kitling, but I find I agree with you. The Second-to-Last Dragonlord made an impassioned plea on behalf of the Great Dragon which the Ruthless King claimed to find moving. He said he needed time to consider the Second-to-Last Dragonlord's words and invited him back to his castle in the meantime. The Second-to-Last Dragonlord spent six nights and six days as the Ruthless King's honoured guest, and as the sun began to set on the seventh night the Ruthless King said he had come to a decision. He could not allow the Great Dragon to live within his kingdom's borders, but if the dragon would come before him to swear an oath to leave the kingdom and its people in peace, the Ruthless King would do the same for the dragon.

Yes of course it was a trap, and the Second-to-Last Dragonlord was foolish for not recognizing it as such. But he was also heartsick and yearning desperately for peace. It is a very hard thing to think yourself the last of your kind. Certainly he should have known better, but even dragons have been known to allow sentiment to cloud their judgement on very rare occasions.

The very same night as when the Ruthless King came to his decision, he led the Second-to-Last Dragonlord down to the caves beneath his castle. The Ruthless King reasoned that they were the only place close enough to allow the affair to be settled without delay, large enough to accommodate a dragon, and that served no risk of a fire catching and spreading should the Great Dragon lose his temper. All true, though the Ruthless King was being disingenuous about why he held those concerns. Fooled, the Second-to-Last Dragonlord called the Great Dragon, ordering him as he did so to be still and hear the Ruthless King out. The Great Dragon landed, and no sooner had he done so than a great manacle and chain, made of cold iron and forged in magic, was wrapped around his leg.

That was what the Ruthless King had truly passed the last six nights and six days considering. It had occurred to him on the first night that there could be no greater distinction for his house than to have a dragon caged like some common animal in a menagerie. This warred with his repulsion for all things magical and desire to see all traces of them removed from the land. In the end his pride and vanity won out, and so he had prepared this trap for the Great Dragon.

The Great Dragon heard out the Ruthless King's gloating as he was bid, then roared his fury and roasted the man who had shackled him in an instant. He would have killed the Ruthless King too but had to stay his flame for fear of hurting the Second-to-Last Dragonlord, who had been played just as foul as the Great Dragon and was the only kin the dragon had left. The Ruthless King fled the Great Dragon's prison, and unfortunately never again proved foolish enough to venture within fire's range. The Second-to-Last Dragonlord was sentenced to death now that he had outlived his usefulness, but he was able to escape and he never returned to the Ruthless King's lands.

No, he was wise to do as he did, kitling, and the Great Dragon bore him no grudge for his actions. The Second-to-Last Dragonlord had not been the least of the dragonlords, but he had not been the greatest of them either, and he had only ever been a second-rate sorcerer. He did not have the power to break the chains that bound the Great Dragon, and any attempts would have only ended in failure and death. Far better that he flee with his life.

Years passed, more years than you've been alive, and the Great Dragon remained trapped in the catacombs. Hm? It is a place where the dead dwell, and a dragon kept in chains and away from the sky is most certainly dead, even if his heart still beats. Truthfully, though twenty years may seem a long time to one as young as you, kitling, it should have been a mere instant for the Great Dragon who had even then lived over a thousand years, but it did not. Each passing moment pressed down on him and stretched out to the length of an eternity. In over two and a half millennia I have not experienced anything that could compare, and I doubt I ever will even if I live another hundred.

Finally came the day the Great Dragon had been waiting for; the Last Dragonlord had come to the Ruthless King's castle. Of course, though I call him the Last Dragonlord, he was not yet a real dragonlord, for his father, the Second-to-Last Dragonlord, still lived. The Great Dragon might not have known him for a dragonlord at all, had the Last Dragonlord not come close enough that the Great Dragon could smell it in his blood. An excellent question, kitling, you may grow out of your foolishness yet. The Last Dragonlord came close enough to smell because the Great Dragon called out to him. For even though the Last Dragonlord was not yet a dragonlord, he was still the most powerful warlock to ever live and the Great Dragon sensed him coming from far away.

Of course the Last Dragonlord is Merlin. Who else but a dragonlord could have called you out of your egg, you silly kitling? If I meant the Last-Dragonlord-Except-for-Merlin, then that's what I would have called him. Think, before I take back what I said about growing out of your foolishness.

If the Last Dragonlord had been a dragonlord in truth, not just in potential, then the Great Dragon would have asked to be freed that very moment. As it was, the Great Dragon knew that the Last Dragonlord would not yet feel the kinship between the two of them, and anyone who had grown up under the reign of the Ruthless King was bound to be too wary of magic to be willing to set a dragon free on first meeting. So the Great Dragon set about befriending the Last Dragonlord. The Great Dragon told him the truth of his great destiny to work with the Once-and-Future King to unite all of Albion and return magic to the realm. From that point on, the Last Dragonlord often came to the Great Dragon seeking wisdom and help, which the Great Dragon freely gave, though the Last Dragonlord did not properly appreciate the Great Dragon's carefully considered answers. The Great Dragon even gifted the Last Dragonlord with a sword forged in his own breath. A gift, you might notice, that could have easily been used to free the Great Dragon from his bondage, but he did not demand this in return for the gift, or even suggest it to the Last Dragonlord. No, the Great Dragon gave this gift with no conditions save that the sword not be wielded by anyone but the Last Dragonlord and the Once-and-Future King. Not only did the Last Dragonlord fail to offer the Great Dragon his freedom in return, he actually allowed the sword to briefly fall into the hands of the Ruthless King himself. It is very vexing, helping someone who does not respect the gravity of what's being offered or show sufficient gratitude. Thank you kitling.

Most vexing of all, however, was the day when the Last Dragonlord, once again unappreciative of the help the Great Dragon had offered, accused the Great Dragon of only caring for himself and his own freedom. This the Great Dragon would have forgiven, for the Last Dragonlord had almost just lost both his mother and the one who cared for him as a father, and he was still very young yet. But then the Last Dragonlord swore to never set the Great Dragon free, and that was a betrayal that was not easily forgiven and that will never be forgotten.

The Last Dragonlord had also sworn never to come to the Great Dragon for help ever again, but that was a promise he was not long able to keep. The next time he came to the Great Dragon seeking advice, it was not freely given in friendship, for the Last Dragonlord had sacrificed any right to such. Instead, in exchange for his help the Great Dragon extracted an oath that when the time came, the Last Dragonlord would set the Great Dragon free. The Last Dragonlord continually put off keeping his word, and the Great Dragon allowed him to do so, until the day a weapon that could free the Great Dragon was once again easily within the Last Dragonlord's grasp. One that occasion, when the Last Dragonlord came for help, the Great Dragon refused to give it until the Last Dragonlord swore on the life of his own mother that the Great Dragon would be released as soon as the current problem was dealt with. This time the Last Dragonlord kept his word, and the Great Dragon was free once again.

For six nights the Great Dragon attacked the Ruthless King's castle without mercy, and for six days the inhabitants lived in terror of what the next night would bring.

You've been spending too much time with Merlin; he's filled your head with nonsense. Listen to me kitling, and I will tell you a dragon's priorities. First is to the command of a dragonlord, which no dragon has any choice but to obey. The next two to be considered in equal measure are the lives of dragons and dragonlords – the latter being our kin even if they are not our kind – and honour. It was my honour the Ruthless King impinged on when he held me captive, and the lives of all dragons and dragonlords he stole in his crusade against magic. That is why I was bound to seek vengeance, and why only the command of the Last Dragonlord could gainsay me. Yes, I am getting to that. Next is the request of another dragon or a dragonlord. A dragonlord in particular could have chosen to make a command that a dragon was bound to follow instead of a mere request, and that he didn't is a sign of respect which must be respected in turn. Underpinning all of these must be a concern of practicality, and in this I despair of you, kitling. Once all I have mentioned have been considered and seen to then and only then is there time and space for mercy. Have you got all that? No, of course not. No matter, I shall tell it to you as many times as I need to in order to make it stick.

Now as I was saying, for six nights and six days the Great Dragon unleashed his wrath upon the Ruthless King's domain. It was a paltry vengeance for the deaths of so many of the Great Dragon's kith and kin and for the twenty years he spent captive, but in the end it may have proved to be too much. For you see, while the Great Dragon was making his nightly attacks, the Last Dragonlord and the Once-and-Future King went out to seek the aid of the Second-to-Last Dragonlord. The Great Dragon allowed them to go, for he had no quarrel with the Once-and-Future King and all debts owed by the Last Dragonlord had been forgiven when he had freed the Great Dragon. I cannot say for certain what they said to draw the Second-to-Last Dragonlord out of hiding, save that he did not agree to stop the Great Dragon just for the sake of it. Recall that the Second-to-Last Dragonlord was the one to slay the Traitorous Dragonlord, so he well understood a dragon's need for vengeance. Most likely he came because his son was the one to ask him to, but the specifics were not important regardless. What was important was if the Great Dragon had contented himself with some lesser vengeance, then the Second-to-Last Dragonlord would not have been called from whatever safe place he had sequestered himself. And if the Second-to-Last Dragonlord had not been called, then he would not have perished on the journey back to the Ruthless King's lands. The instant the Last Dragonlord returned, the Great Dragon knew he was a dragonlord in truth now, not just by potential, and that therefore the Second-to-Last Dragonlord must be dead. The Great Dragon felt shame that his actions had led to further death for his kin, and in that moment he desired nothing more than to bring an end to all of this.

As the sun began to set on the seventh night, a troop of knights set out to meet the Great Dragon, led by the Once-and-Future King and accompanied by the Last Dragonlord. The Great Dragon flew out to meet them, and he made short work of scattering the knights and chasing them off into the wood. He allowed the Once-and-Future King a single blow before knocking him unconscious as well. Then the only ones left standing in the clearing were the Great Dragon and the Last Dragonlord. The Great Dragon waited as the Last Dragonlord gathered his resolve and found within the voice him with which to speak to the Great Dragon as kin. He commanded the Great Dragon to stop his attacks and leave the people in peace, and then he commanded the Great Dragon to stay still and bow his head, which the Great Dragon did. The Last Dragonlord slowly reached down to pick up the spear the Once-and-Future King had dropped, and the boy – for in truth the Last Dragonlord was still barely more than a child – looked so emotionally overwrought the Great Dragon feared for a moment that the Last Dragonlord might kill him. The Great Dragon asked for his life, for whatever wrongs he had committed couldn't be worth killing the last of his noble breed.

Good, it was meant to sting, kitling. I'll grant you that dragons are very clever and sometimes only tell select truths in whatever particular way best suits their needs, but they do not lie, especially not to dragonlords. If what I said was an untruth, it was only because I believed it to be true when I said it. The egg Aithusa hatched from had long since been given up for lost by that time, and it had been centuries and centuries since anyone had heard from the dragons that left for the continent and they were all presumed dead as well. Not only did you question my honour by saying I lied, you've ruined the end of the story as well. It's barely even worth telling at this point. The Great Dragon asked for his life, the Last Dragonlord granted his request, and the Great Dragon flew off into the night, alone, but free, the end.

Yes, yes, but all that happened much later and is by right a good number of separate stories. Fine, the Great Dragon flew off alone, but only remained alone for a short while before he discovered more of his kind still living. He eventually had children again and grandchildren and finally one very annoying great-grandchild. Happy? Good, now go to sleep; your story is over and I, for one, am very tired.


End file.
